All The Good Slips Away
by falln-angl
Summary: Chris Jericho and Shane McMahon are both determined to investigate the circumstances surrounding ‘the tape’.
1. Part One

Author's notes: First of all, Stephanie is my idol. Second, this was written **right after** watching 11 Feb 02 episode of _RAW_. There are some similarities between this and _One Day and One Month Later_, I know. Also, while writing this I realised that quite a lot of things don't make much sense. When I first started it was only supposed to be a couple of pages long, but yeah, it kind of progressed into something a little more than that…

Author's notes – Part II: For the story to work, Chris Jericho never left the arena. I don't remember the name of the doctor Stephanie 'used', so I just made up my own. 

**All the Good Slips Away**

Chris Jericho couldn't stop laughing at the scene in front of him. So much for the McMahon-Helmsley Era being forever. Trips was furious, Vince was unconscious, Stephanie was incensed, and their wedding set-up was completely trashed. Fantastic ending to a great _RAW_. 

Jericho turned off the TV and almost instantly he could hear loud conversations about what had just happened. Understandably, everyone was taking Triple H's side and cursing the name of Stephanie. Things were certainly going to be _very_ interesting in the next few weeks. 

He hadn't really wanted to watch the renewing of the vows, but after seeing and hearing the conversation between Triple H and Linda McMahon, how could he not stick around and watch the whole thing unravel? He couldn't have orchestrated the whole thing any better had he written a script for them to follow. 

But Jericho didn't want to leave just yet, although most of the other wrestlers had already left for their hotels. He had heard the enraged Triple H leave the arena immediately, but some fascination made him want to wait for Stephanie. Coincidentally, her locker room was only a few doors down to his. Perfect. 

Jericho grabbed his bag, shouldering it as he swaggered towards Stephanie's locker room. Damn, he had never realised the bitch had it in her. She had more McMahon blood in her than he had thought. 

Just then the lady of the hour walked in from the other side of the curtain, and all within range quickly disappeared. There was just the two of them left. Jericho stopped, smirking at her. 

But the wild Stephanie from the ring was gone and replaced by a broken one. Stephanie had covered her face with both hands and her whole body was shaking as she sobbed uncontrollably. 

Jericho raised an eyebrow warily. 'What's the matter, Stephy baby?' he asked nastily. 'Lover boy not quite as cold-hearted as you had hoped?' 

Stephanie raised her hear and looked at him. Her eyes were surprisingly haunted. 'I didn't know…' 

She collapsed heavily on the concrete floor. 

Jericho looked down at her crumpled body in surprise. He didn't expect that. He looked around to see if anybody else had seen her drop, but they were still alone. He walked slowly towards her and nudged her arm with his foot. 'Stephanie?' 

She didn't move. 

He started to feel a little worried, and he bent down for closer inspection. 'Hey, Steph, Trips is back and he says he was just joking.' 

No response. 

Jericho swore. He had two choices. Leave her or help her. He decided to help her. The girl had reconciled with her father, and Vince was always a powerful ally. He pulled out his cell phone and dialled 911. 

There was no dial tone. Jericho pulled away the phone from his ear and looked down at it. No battery. He swore again. That would mean he would have to talk her to hospital himself. Vince was still unconscious, and nobody would want to help Stephanie now. 

'Why the hell did I want to wait for you?' he muttered to himself. With an annoyed sigh, he lifted her up from the floor. She was lighter than he expected. 

Jericho smirked again. 'Those implants are lighter than I thought.' 

* 

Jericho thought about leaving the hospital after he had dropped her off, but he didn't. He was curious as to what made her suddenly collapse like that, and her last words were a mystery. 

_I didn't know… _

What didn't she know? Very interesting indeed. 

Fortunately, Jericho didn't have to wait long. 

'You were the one who brought in Ms McMahon?' the elderly doctor asked. 

Jericho stood up. 'That's me.' 

'And you are her husband?' 

He glared at the other man. 'You don't know who I am?' 

The doctor looked confused. 'I'm afraid I don't, sir.' 

'I'm the Undisputed Champion, that's who I am.' 

'Well, congratulations, sir,' the doctor said, smiling benignly at him. 'Now, about Ms-' 

'I'm Chris Jericho, damnit! I'm a living legend!' he interrupted loudly, annoyed that the little peon wasn't adoring him accordingly. 'I'm the Undisputed Champion of the World Wrestling Federation!' 

'I see. I'm afraid I don't watch wrestling. But I want to talk to you about Ms McMahon.' 

Jericho swallowed his indignation. He didn't want to talk about _Ms McMahon_, nor did he particularly care what was wrong with her. But he shrugged nonetheless. 'Okay, what about Stephanie?' 

'She's had quite a loss. I'm not too sure how to tell you this…she miscarried.' 

Jericho was stunned. 'What?!' 

'I'm very sorry, sir, but Ms McMahon has lost her baby.' 

He couldn't believe it, and he stared at the doctor in total disbelief. 'The bitch really _was_ pregnant…' 

The doctor frowned at him. 'Yes, she was. Just a little over two months along, I believe.' 

Jericho shook his head as he tried to wrap his mind around what he had just heard. 'Well, what about Steph?' he asked. 'Is she going to be okay?' 

'She's sleeping right now, but you can see her if you want.' 

'No, I don't think so. Do you have a pen and paper?' 

The doctor reached into his coat pocket and produced a pen and a small pad of yellow stick-it notes. Jericho took it from him and scribbled down a number. 'This is her brother's phone number. I suggest you give him a call and let him know what's going on.' 

The doctor looked down at the number, and then looked at him in confusion. 'You don't want to see her?' 

Jericho grinned. 'I'll see her again. Don't you worry about that.' 


	2. Part Two

Jericho woke to the shrill ringing of the phone beside his bed, and he reached for it tiredly, bringing the receiver to his ear. 'What?' 

'Jericho, it's Shane. Shane McMahon.' 

He grimaced. 'Of course it is.' 

'Look, I'm in a hospital in Arkansas at the moment.' 

'Congratulations.' 

'Will you stop being an asshole for just a minute?' Shane asked angrily. 

Jericho rolled his eyes. 'What do you want, Shane?' 

'I called to ask you about what happened last night.' 

'Why, Mr McMahon, I'm surprised that you don't pay-' 

'Damnit, Jericho!' 

He was tempted to just hang up on him, but he didn't. 'Your dirty, bottom feeding-' 

'Jericho!' 

Jericho laughed, unable to help himself. 'Your skanky sister was dumped by the big-nosed jerky on national television.' 

'Yes, I saw that,' the other man replied impatiently, 'I meant afterwards, when you took her to hospital.' 

'She collapsed. There was no one else around. I was forced to take her to hospital.' 

'Nothing else happened? She didn't say anything to you?' 

Jericho raised an eyebrow. 'Why? What's going on?' 

Shane sighed loudly on the other end. 'Steph woke up this morning, but she's in shock over what Hunter did to her. I didn't have the heart to tell her about…the other thing. She doesn't know yet.' 

Jericho swore, though unsure of why. It was quite a shock to realise that Stephanie had been honestly pregnant. The irony wasn't lost on him. Triple H had basically killed his unborn child, the child he had been led to believe didn't exist. Now it really didn't. Even to Jericho, it was a bit of a mind spin. 'Well, okay. Please don't tell me that I have to race over there and hold her hand.' 

'No, of course I wouldn't expect such a Herculean task from you,' Shane bit back sarcastically. 'Look, I want just want to know if there was something she said or did while she was still conscious. I don't know, something that might help me out a little bit.' 

_I didn't know… _

'Yeah, just before she collapsed she said she didn't know,' Jericho told him. 

'Didn't know what?' 

'I don't know! She just said, 'I didn't know', and then she hit the deck.' 

'Those sensitivity lessons really payed off for you, didn't they?' 

'Bite me,' Jericho said, then hung up. He took the phone off the hook again, just in case Simba decided to redial. 

However, he couldn't get back to sleep. Something about the whole Stephanie/Triple H thing wasn't sitting too comfortably with him. There was something amiss, especially regarding the tape that just happened to show up minutes before the renewal of the vows. Not to mention Linda's phone call. Why would the tape be sent to her first? Why not send it directly to Triple H? 

The biggest question of all – _who_ sent the tape to Linda? 

And now he knew something that Triple H didn't…something that would devastate the other man worse than the mysterious tape from nowhere. He had a little secret weapon against the man he fully believed he would meet at _WrestleMania_. 

Knowledge. 

But _WrestleMania_ was weeks away, and Jericho still had some answers to uncover.

Author's note: Sorry this part was so short. It was just the way the parts sectioned out, and just to let you know, a few of them _will_ be like this.


	3. Part Three

'Steph?' 

The pale woman sitting on the hospital bed looked up at him. Her eyes were lifeless. 'Hi, Shane.' 

Shane smiled encouragingly at her. 'How are you feeling?' 

'The same.' Her voice was emotionless. 

'Well, I have some news that I hope will cheer you up!' he told her, keeping his voice jovial. Actually, he wasn't too sure how his news would be met, but he was assuming that Stephanie knew nothing of their mother's involvement in the shattering of the wedding. 

'Yeah?' 

'Mom's here to see you.' 

No movement or reaction from Stephanie. 'Oh. Okay.' 

Shane was worried, but he hid it behind his smile. 'Maria just went to pick her up from the airport. She's going to be here in about fifteen minutes.' 

'Okay.' Stephanie turned back to staring out the large window, but then turned back to him again. 'I like Maria, Shane,' she said quietly. 'You're lucky to have found her.' 

He nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable. As much as he loved Maria, he felt somewhat guilty that his marriage was going so perfectly while hers had just broken into tiny pieces. Not to mention Maria was pregnant with their first child…and Stephanie had just lost hers. A pregnancy that he was still coming to terms with. He had been about to become an uncle...

Shane pushed all those thoughts aside for the moment, and he smiled. 'Thank you, Steph.' 

Stephanie smiled a ghost of a smile, but her eyes remained blank. She went back to staring out the window. 

He watched her worriedly. He had been shocked at what his sister had done, and he could only imagine the pain Hunter had gone through after seeing the tape and talking to Linda. However, Shane would never condone what his soon-to-be ex-brother-in-law had done to his little sister. He and Stephanie had their differences, but she was always there for him whenever he was in any trouble, and vice versa. 

He wasn't looking forward to telling his sister about her miscarriage. He didn't want to be the one to tell her, but there was no one else. For some reason he didn't want his mother to be the one to break the news to Stephanie. It just didn't feel right, not when he hadn't quite forgiven Linda for her role in what had occurred during _RAW_. There were too many questions about Linda's involvement. It was such a strange feeling suspecting his mother of not so good intentions. 

Shane shook his head to clear it once more, his mind returning to the issue at hand. Stephanie's miscarriage. Deep down he knew that prolonging the news would only make it worse when she eventually found out…but he couldn't bring himself to do it. 

Not just yet. 

* 

Shane watched the reunion between mother and daughter warily. Linda held Stephanie closely, murmuring words of sympathy and encouragement. Stephanie stared straight ahead, one hand loosely around her mother's waist. 

'Shane?' 

He turned and faced his wife, smiling as he wrapped his arms around Maria. 'Hey. You have no idea how happy I am to see you back.' 

She smiled at him, but the look of anxiety in her eyes didn't disappear. 'I think we need to talk about something.' 

'Sure.' 

Maria glanced towards the bed. 'Outside.' 

Shane hesitated, not wanting to leave Stephanie alone with Linda. But he nodded. He followed her to the hallway. 'What's going on?' 

'I didn't tell Linda about the miscarriage,' Maria told him. 'All I told her was that Steph had collapsed after the show went off air, and that someone anonymous took her to hospital.' 

He frowned at her. 'I thought we agreed that you would be the one to tell her? And why didn't you say it was Jericho?' 

Maria bit her lower lip in that adorable way he loved so much. 'Honey, you know I think that Linda is a great woman, but…' She sighed heavily. 'I don't know, Shane. There's just something about the tape and the phone call to Hunter that seems -' 

'Suspicious,' Shane finished for her. 

She nodded. 'Very. On the way over here I asked her about the tape, and she suddenly seemed defensive. I got the feeling she was hiding something.' 

As much as Shane loved his mother, he nodded understandingly at his wife. There was no reason Maria would lie to him or would try to make up stories. There _was_ something suspicious about what had happened on _RAW_. The tape arriving that day, Linda's phone call just minutes before Hunter was due to renew his vows. Linda had claimed that she had been trying to call Hunter all night, but Shane knew that if his mother really wanted to talk to someone it would have been done so within a minute. That was the power that came with being a McMahon. 

'Something is going on,' Shane confirmed. 'Definitely something.' 

Maria closed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. 'God, poor Steph. Can you imagine what must be going through her mind at the moment. First, she loses her husband, and now her baby.' 

Shane took a deep breath. 'Uh, I haven't told her yet.' 

She looked at him with a small frown. 'Why not?' 

'I just couldn't, not yet.' He shook his head. 'I don't think she's ready for the news.'

'But you will, right?'

'I will. Soon.'

Author's note: Yes, I know that Shane's wife's name is Marissa. 'Maria' is for her - *points and waves to Scattia*


	4. Part Four

'Yeah, look at me, a regular Sam Spade,' Jericho muttered to himself. He was back at the arena and was searching through one of the garbage bins. So far he had searched through a dozen of them and still hadn't found what he was looking for. He was more than ready to give up his quest for the truth.

'Hey, you! Get away from there! What the hell do you think you're doing?' an angry voice called out from behind him. 

Jericho rolled his eyes as he slowly turned around. A large, muscular security guard was striding towards him, a mean look on his face. 'Good morning, Mr Cheerful,' Jericho greeted disdainfully.

The guard's face suddenly lit up at the sight of his face. 'Wow! Chris Jericho! The Undisputed Champion!'

'What do you want? An autograph? A picture?' he sneered. 'Or maybe you just want to touch the one and only?'

Mr Cheerful lost a little of his smile. 'Uh no, it's okay. What are you doing here, Mr Jericho?'

He laughed. _Mr Jericho?!_ This was freaking fantastic. 'Oh, that's a good one!'

Mr Cheerful looked at him uncertainly. 'This is cool that you're here, but you're not supposed to be here.'

'Do I _look_ like I want to be in this dump?' Jericho asked sarcastically. 'Of course not. I bet you don't either, but you are.'

'I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to take you out,' Mr Cheerful said gravely. 'I'm really sorry, Mr Jericho.'

'Look, I'll give you tickets to one of our shows if you just help me out here,' Jericho offered. 'I just need to find something, then I'm gone.'

The big smile returned to the guard's face. 'Tickets? Really?'

'Sure, anything you want.'

'Cool! What are you looking for?'

'Were you watching the show last night?'

Mr Cheerful nodded. 'Never miss it.'

'I'm looking for the envelope and tape that was sent to Triple H.'

'Oh, I know where they are. The tape was left in the VCR and a friend of mine was the one who had to clean out that dressing room. I think he might still have the tape, and even the envelope.'

He grinned. Chris Spade's first break.


	5. Part Five

'The doctor says she can leave whenever she wants,' Maria said, walking back into the private hospital room.

Shane looked at her gratefully. 'Thanks, honey.'

'I think she should come home with me,' Linda spoke up. 'She really shouldn't be left alone by herself.'

Shane and Maria exchanged a look. He knew exactly what she was thinking, and vice versa.

'Actually, I was thinking that she stay with us,' Maria said, walking closer towards the bed. 'We really haven't seen much of Steph in a long time. It would be great to have some company around the house.'

Linda stared at Maria for a moment, and Shane was surprised at the hard look of anger on his mother's eyes. But Linda smiled and the look was gone. Shane could almost make himself believe that it had never been there in the first place. Almost.

'Well, if you're sure you guys can handle her?' Linda said, her voice gentle. 'I just don't want her going back to Hunter. Especially after the way he treated her last night.'

'Of course not, Mom,' Shane replied. His voice sounded shallow to his own ears.

Throughout the whole conversation, Stephanie stared passively out the window.

*

'Steph?'

His sister looked up slowly at him, saying nothing. She hadn't spoken a word the entire trip to the house, and when they arrived she insisted on staying in the guest bedroom. For the past hour Stephanie had not moved from her sitting position on the side of the bed.

Beside him, Shane felt Maria squeeze his hand reassuringly. He took a deep breath, bolstered by his wife's enduring support. He squeezed back tightly before releasing her hand, then knelt down in front of his sister. 'Steph, there's something very important that we need to tell you.'

'Okay.'

'When Jericho took you to hospital, it was a lot more serious than any of us expected. You didn't just collapse, you…'

He trailed off, unsure of how to put into words such a delicate and devastating piece of information. Shane knew that the news would completely destroy his sister, and he hated having to be the one to tell her. But there was nobody else.

'I what, Shane?' Stephanie asked without interest.

He swallowed hard. 'This is the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, Steph. I don't-'

'Just tell me, Shane,' his sister interrupted, her voice not changing. Dull eyes looked dispassionately at him.

Shane hesitated slightly before lightly putting both hands on her knees. 'When you collapsed at the arena, something else happened…your baby…you had a-'

'No…' Emotion finally glimmered on Stephanie's face, but it wasn't something he wanted to see. A look of utter despair. 'No…it can't be…please…oh, God, please…tell me it isn't true…?'

'Honey, we're so sorry,' Maria murmured compassionately, sitting beside Stephanie and wrapping her arms around her sister-in-law.

Stephanie turned to Maria, the pure horror in her eyes unmistakable. 'Maria…?'

'Oh, Steph, I wish more than anything that it wasn't true,' Maria replied, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Stephanie turned back to Shane, and he wished that she hadn't. The flicker of emotion in her eyes slowly started to fade once more, and he hurriedly tried to reach her, calling out her name frantically.

She took no notice of him.


	6. Part Six

'Mr Jericho,' the receptionist at Titan Towers greeted with a smile. 'It's nice-'

'Yeah, yeah,' Jericho interrupted hurriedly. 'Where can I get a copy of last week's _SmackDown_?'

The receptionist looked a little taken aback, and she quickly lost her smile. 'Uh, I think you'll have to ask productions for that.'

'Fine. Where is productions?'

'The main office is on the fifth floor,' she informed him. 'But-'

Jericho finally grinned at her. 'Thanks, sweetheart.'

He strutted towards the elevators, and was impressed when he didn't have to wait for one. He stepped inside and pressed the button for the fifth floor, and as he ascended he thought about all the trouble he was going through for a piece of information.

Information that could help him retain the Undisputed Championship.

It didn't take long to reach the desired floor, and as he strode into the spacious office he was greeted by another reception area. He walked towards the receptionist, a young guy who looked like he was still in high school.

'Mr Jericho-' the guy started.

'Who do I see to get a copy of last week's _SmackDown_?' Jericho interrupted brusquely, glaring at the kid. He was in no mood for idle chit-chat with awestruck fans.

The kid lazily raised an eyebrow. 'That would be me.'

'Good. I need a copy, and I need it now,' he ordered.

'Would you like a copy for yourself, or would you just like to view something in particular?' the kid asked, staring back at him with a sneer on his face.

Jericho wanted nothing more than the punch the little disrespectful bastard's face. Yeah, that would get rid of that self-important smirk on his stupid face. 'You like this job, jerky?' he asked threateningly. 'Cause if it's too much for you, I'm sure I can arrange for Vince McMahon to fire your ass.'

The kid lost his smile, and he scowled. 'Give me a couple of minutes.'

Jericho grinned with satisfaction. Oh yeah, power had its perks.


	7. Part Seven

Shane noticed the looks and heard the whispers as he walked along the halls, but he ignored them. Maria has asked him not to confront Hunter, but with Stephanie almost catatonic there was nothing else he could think of doing. Meeting his brother-in-law face to face was his way of dealing with what was happening with Stephanie.

He stopped before head referee, Earl Hebner. 'Where's Hunter's dressing room?' he demanded.

Earl frowned heavily at him. 'Last door on your left.'

'Thanks.'

Shane strode towards the room and entered without knocking, loudly slamming the door against the wall.

Hunter whirled around, a look of surprise on his face. 'What the-'

Shane advanced purposefully towards him without a word and punched the other man on the face as hard as he could.

Hunter fell heavily against a couch, his hand coming up to cradle his jaw and glaring up at him.

'That was for putting your hands on my sister,' Shane ground out. 'Don't you ever touch her again.'

Hunter stood up slowly. 'I wouldn't go near her even if you paid me,' he spat out.

'You don't know everything,' Shane said, raising his chin defiantly. 'You've lost more than you realise.'

Hunter let out a short bark of laughter. 'Getting rid of that ball-and-chain slut of a sister of yours is no loss to me, _McMahon_.'

Shane felt his anger grow at the man's derisive tone, and especially at his words. He had planned on informing Hunter of Stephanie's condition, and of her trip to hospital, but he quickly decided against it.

'You have no idea, _Helmsley_,' he shot back. 'Don't think this is over.'

Shane turned his back and walked out of the room.

*

Jericho looked up at his visitor, and raised an eyebrow. 'You know, it is polite to knock before entering.'

Shane glared at him. 'Shut up, Jericho.'

Jericho felt a flash of anger, but he pushed it away. 'What do you want, McMahon?'

'I need a favour.'

He raised an eyebrow. 'And what would this favour entail, oh Mighty Simba?'

Shane looked as if he was having a hard time controlling his anger. 'Don't worry, it won't interfere too much with your perfect existence. I wanted to ask that you not mention to anyone about what happened to Steph.'

Jericho snorted. 'Like I'd really want to be advertising the fact that I, a Living Legend, would be caught helping the little Princess.'

'All I'm saying is that you keep the information about the miscarriage to yourself.'

Jericho grinned. 'Don't worry, I will.'

Shane stared at him for a few moments, then turned and walked away.

'Until _WrestleMania_…'


	8. Part Eight

Jericho found several Dr Daly's in the Connecticut area, and as luck would have it, the last one he called seemed to be the one he was looking for. However, before he could dial the number, his phone rang.

'Jericho, we need to work on your strategies for your match with Austin at _No Way Out_,' Vince commanded over the phone. 'Which is only two days away, I might add.'

'I can beat that jackass with one arm tied behind my back,' Jericho told Vince confidently, used to Vince's lack of small talk.

'That may well be the case, but it doesn't mean that you should get injudicious. Austin has surprising stamina.'

Jericho rolled his eyes. 'Don't worry, I'm working on it. Austin will never ever get his hands on the Undisputed Championship.'

'Good, good. That's what I like to hear.'

'Look, Vince, I have some things I have to-'

'Before you go, I need to ask you about something, Jericho,' Vince interrupted gravely.

'Ask away, Vince.' Jericho repressed the urge to call him 'Vance'.

'I can't seem to locate Stephanie's whereabouts, and there are rumours floating about that you were the last person to see her after that _RAW_.'

Jericho hesitated, unsure of how to respond. 'Why don't you try asking your wife?' he asked, reflecting the query away from him.

'What's Linda got to do with Stephanie?'

He was amazed. 'Vince, if you haven't seen the replay of _RAW_ yet, I suggest you do so.'

'What are you talking about, Jericho?'

'All I'm saying is that it wasn't me who called Trips just minutes before he was about to go out with some story about a fake doctor, and it wasn't me who sent Trips a tape implicating Stephanie.'

'Tape implicating…? Look, if you're trying to tell me something, then just tell me damnit!'

Jericho sighed. 'It was your wife who made that wonderful, beautiful scene at the end of _RAW_ possible, Vince. Watch the replay.'

He hung up.

*

'Dr Daly?'

'I'm Dr Daly.'

'Are you Stephanie McMahon's doctor?'

'Who is this?'

'This is the Undisputed Champion. The-'

'Chris Jericho?'

'None other.'

'And what is it that I can do for you, Mr Jericho?'

'How about answering a couple of questions for me, Doc?'

'I don't think-'

'Look, Junior, I spent all day Wednesday searching Connecticut phone books for you, and calling fifteen million Dr Daly's! Spare me five minutes, will you?'

Hesitation. 'Does this have anything to do with what happened on Monday? On _RAW_?'

'Yeah.'

'Look, none of that is my fault. As you may have realised by now, I _am_ a real doctor. Mrs McMahon-Helmsley _is_ pregnant.'

'_Was_ pregnant, Junior. Get with the program.'

'Wha- What?'

'Figure it out, Doc D.'

'Oh my god…she miscarried…'

'Yeah, poor little Princess. Now, about that ta-'

'Is she okay? How's she-'

'She's perfect. That tape on _RAW_, that was really you?'

Silence.

'Hey! You still there? Don't tell me you've had a heart attack or something.'

'That poor girl…'

'Yeah, I've already shed my tear. Back to-'

'Your sensitivity is overwhelming, Mr Jericho.'

'I'm a sensitive guy. Now, can we _please_ get back to the damned tape?'

'Fine.'

'That was you on that tape, right?'

'That was me on the tape.'

'So, what are you? Part time doctor, part time actor?'

'No, it's not like that. A couple of days after Stephanie invited me to meet with her and her husband on _SmackDown_, this guy showed up at the clinic.'

'And?'

'He said he was some ad executive working on some holiday advertisements. He claimed that a patient of mine had recommended me. I was pleased, and we shot that particular video the very next morning. It wasn't until I was watching _RAW_ that I realised what that tape was used for.'

'Did he tell you his name? Leave a card or something?'

'Yeah, a card.' Pause. 'Chris Campbell, The Irvine Group.'

'Thanks, Junior.'

*

Jericho looked down at the name, and knew that it was probably useless trying to find the person and the company. Fake names were given out all the time, and professional cards were very easily made with anyone who had a decent printer in their basement.

He sighed, unsure of what to do next. However, he was pleased that he had confirmation about the authenticity – or lack of – of the tape.

'Like there was ever any doubt,' he muttered, putting the whole affair in the back of his mind. He had much more important things to worry about, not the least was his upcoming title defence against Steven Austin at the upcoming pay per view.


	9. Part Nine

'Hey, Barry.'

The guy walking past stopped and turned in surprise. He smiled. 'Hey, Shane.'

Shane grinned. 'Busy day at the office, huh?'

'Something like that. This a social call, or what?' Barry was the man responsible for the whole of the fifth floor dedicated to productions at the Titan Towers headquarters. He was also Shane's bestfriend from college.

'I'm here on some business, actually, but don't worry, it's nothing too strenuous. Wouldn't want you to strain something.'

Barry laughed. 'Of course not. What can I do for you?'

'I need a copy of a _SmackDown_ episode.'

'You have the date for it?'

'Seventh of February. The one with Steph's doctor.'

Barry sobered instantly. 'How is your sister? Nobody's seen her in weeks, and people are saying that she actually spent some time in hospital after that _RAW_ episode.'

Shane sighed. 'To be honest, she's not too good.' He didn't elaborate.

'Understood. No more questions. Tell her I'm thinking of her though.'

'Barry, when haven't you been _not_ thinking of her?'

Barry smiled. 'Steph's always a sweetheart to me. Anyway, back to that _SmackDown_ tape. It's quite popular.'

'What are you talking about?'

'Chris Jericho came looking for the same tape last week. Our work experience kid said he was a complete asshole.'

Shane laughed. 'Yeah, that sounds like our Undisputed Champion. Wonder what he wanted with the tape?'

'Actually, he did mention that he specifically wanted the section with Steph's doctor.'

'Did he say anything else?' Shane asked, wondering why the wrestler would want to see that particular part of the show.

'Nope, just 'thanks, Junior', and he was gone. By the way, I want to go on record as saying that I don't believe Steph lied about her pregnancy,' Barry said, 'and that I hope the baby doesn't have his or her father's nose.'

Shane knew of his bestfriend's unending crush on Stephanie, and was grateful for his words. However, he felt guilty for letting the other man continue to believe in something that wasn't exactly true. 'Barry, there's something I have to tell you…'

*

Shane used what he hoped was a charming smile on the receptionist. 'Hi.'

The receptionist smiled back in response. 'Hi, there. How may I help you?'

'I'm looking for Dr Daly. Is he available?'

The receptionist's smile dimmed slightly. 'I'm sorry, sir, but Dr Daly isn't in today. Perhaps one of the other doctors will be able to attend to your needs…?'

Shane then tried what Maria liked to call his 'helpless' expression. 'I really wanted to see him. I'm flying back to Australia tomorrow, and I wanted to catch up with him before I left.'

'Oh.' A hesitant look came over the receptionist's face.

'We were old college buddies,' he explained, hoping that he didn't sound too fake.

'Well, I'm not really supposed to do this, but I guess I can give you his home address. I'm sure he would love a visit from an old college friend.'

His smiled returned. 'I would greatly appreciate that.'

*

'Dr Daly?'

'Who are you?'

'My name is Shane McMahon. Stephanie McMahon, my sister, was a patient of yours.'

'Oh. I heard about your sister, and the miscarriage. I'm truly sorry.'

'Thank you.'

'She was really excited about being pregnant.'

'I know, Dr Daly.'

'So, what can I do for you, Mr McMahon?'

'I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions.'

'About _RAW_ and about that damned tape, right?'

'That's right. How did you know?'

'Someone else was asking about it last week.'

'Someone else…? Did he or she tell you their name?'

'Sure. Chris Jericho.'


	10. Part Ten

'Jericho.'

He groaned. 'Not you again. What do you want now, Simba?'

The other man glared at him. 'My name is Shane.'

'What do you want now, _Shane_?'

'I've heard you've been doing a bit of detective work.'

Jericho raised an eyebrow. 'And what business is that of yours?'

'That's exactly the question I wanted to ask you.'

'I have my reasons.'

'And they are…?'

Jericho grinned. 'Absolutely nothing to concern yourself with.'

A frustrated look came over Shane's face. 'Damnit, Jericho, this is my sister's business that you're getting involved with. What do you think you're doing?'

Jericho stared at him. 'Gathering information.'

Shane frowned. 'I don't understand.'

'You will. Come _WrestleMania_, you will.'

*

There was something vaguely familiar with name on the business card that Dr Daly had given Shane, and he couldn't stop thinking about it. A part of him believed that it was a fake name and a fake company, but he couldn't just ignore it. It was a clue, after all.

'Honey, wasn't there a wrestler called Campbell Irvine who used to be with WCW?' Maria asked as she entered the study with his mail, which she dropped onto the large mahogany desk. 'Went by the name of Campbell Jericho, the apparent lead singer of a band. Tried to imitate Chris Jericho.'

Shane jumped up. 'That's it!' He threw his arms around his wife and hugged her tightly. 'Baby, you are truly amazing.'

She kissed him. 'I know.'

'Irvine was one of the wrestlers who was sent down to Ohio for some extra training, which means…' He trailed off, unsure if he wanted to finish his sentence.

'Which means he's in the group of wrestlers your mother is evaluating,' Maria continued for him.

Shane stared at her.


	11. Part Eleven

'Oh. Hi…Mom.'

Linda smiled at him, taking a step forward and hugging him tightly. 'Hey, Shane.'

He returned her hold half-heartedly, surprised at the relief he felt when he finally pulled away from her. 'Uh, what are you doing here?'

'A mother needs a reason to visit her children now?'

Shane forced a smile. 'Of course not.'

'How's your sister? Still feeling down in the dumps?'

'She's not too good. She's, uh, she's not eating…she's been losing a lot of weight.'

Linda frowned with concern. 'Maybe she should come home with me?'

'No!'

His mother was obviously taken-aback by his forceful answer. 'Excuse me?'

'I mean, I think it's best if she stays with Maria and I for now. Just give her back some stability in her life. I don't think it's, uh, good for her to be, you know, be moving around so much.'

Fortunately, Linda nodded. 'Well, that makes sense. Where is she? Can I see her?'

Shane hesitated. He couldn't believe the thoughts that were running through his mind regarding his mother's motives, and he quickly cleared his head of them. His mother was _not_ going to try and kill his sister. 'Sure. She's in her room. The guest room.'

*

'Stephanie?'

Stephanie looked up, and tried to smile. 'Hi, Maria.'

'How are you doing?'

'I'm better, I promise. It was good to see Mom today.'

Maria smiled gently at her. 'That's great, honey. How about some food? Feel a little hungry?'

She wasn't, but she nodded nonetheless. 'I am, actually.'

Maria brightened. 'Good, because dinner is nearly finished. Shane's been taking his cooking lessons very seriously, and let me tell you, it smells delicious.'

Stephanie forced a smile, but said nothing. She stood up and followed her sister-in-law out of the room and down the stairs. She listened patiently to Maria's incessant chatter about her day at work, the cheerful and animated way she talked taking Stephanie's mind off her…issues.

'Maria?'

Maria stopped mid-sentence, and turned to face her. 'What is it, honey?'

She felt her throat suddenly tighten with emotion, and she swallowed hard. 'I just wanted to…to say thank you for everything you and Shane have done for me these past few weeks, and…and…' Stephanie trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

'Oh, hey, it's been no problem at all, Steph,' Maria said, giving her a hug. 'We've been more than happy to have you stay with us.'

'You guys have been-'

'Steph, you don't have to say anything at all.'

'I know I've been a burden to you-'

'Will you stop? We love having you here.'

'But-'

'We care about you, Steph. It's what families do.'

Stephanie took a deep breath, and tried to compose herself. 'Thank you.'

A serious look came over Maria's face. 'I realise that you're going through an extremely terrible time in your life at the moment, but we're here for you. You _will_ get through this, and you _will_ be okay.'

She knew that her sister-in-law was right despite the large part of her that rebelled at the other woman's words, but she nodded nevertheless. 'Thanks, Maria.'

'What are sisters for?'

'Hey, hey, where are the two best McMahon women?' Shane's jovial voice called out from the direction of the dining room. 'Dinner isn't going to eat itself you know!'

Maria rolled her eyes. 'And the man commandeth 'ye women shall come forth and eat of mine tidings, for mine toil and blood hath gone into it', and the women obeyed.'

Unable to help herself, Stephanie started giggling. It felt good to laugh, if only for a little while.

Maria grinned as she hooked her arm around Stephanie's. 'Come on, let's see if those lessons paid off.'


	12. Part Twelve

'Campbell Irvine?'

'Oh, hey! Mr McMahon, hi!'

'Hey, man. Call me Shane. Mr McMahon is my father. How goes the training?'

'It's going great, Mr McMahon. I mean…uh, Shane.'

'I need to ask you a couple of questions.'

'Um, sure. Shoot.'

'Do you recognise this business card?'

'Uh…I'm not sure…'

'This would be heaps easier if you were just honest with me. I just want you to answer a few questions.'

'Man, all my life all I've ever dreamed of is being part of the WWF. I don't want to-'

'Look, Irvine, I promise you that whatever you say will not affect the terms of your new contract. I just need some answers, okay? Some very important answers.'

'Alright.'

'This card? Is it yours?'

'Yeah. A friend of mine printed it out of his computer.'

'And you gave one of these to Dr Daly, is that right? Posing as some kind of ad executive?'

'Uh…yeah. That was me.'

'Why did you do that?'

'It wasn't my idea, okay?'

'Then whose was it? Did someone ask you to do it for them?'

'Yeah.'

'Who?'

'What happened was she told me I had to do one last thing before they could be confident in offering me the contract. Some kind of personality building exercise of some kind. I swear, I didn't know what she wanted that tape for!'

'Who was it, Irvine?'

'Oh, man…'

'Just tell me.'

'It was your Mom.'


	13. Part Thirteen

'Shane! What a surprise!' Linda smiled brightly at him, reaching forward to hug him.

But Shane stepped back, out of reach. 'I know, Mom. What you did.'

She looked at him with confusion. 'What are you talking about, Shane?'

He stared at her. 'I know about the tape, about using Campbell Irvine to get that doctor to pose as an actor. I know practically everything.'

Linda's face turned into an emotionless mask. She said nothing.

'I see that you're not denying it. Everything _is_ true.'

'Well, you certainly have been a busy little beaver, haven't you?' Linda asked, her face suddenly turning savage.

Shane was surprised by the abrupt and unexpected change in his mother's demeanour. 'I was looking out for my baby sister,' he said quietly. 'You always told me that's what I had to do. "Look out for you baby sister, take care of her at all times," you used to tell me. I got that from _you_.'

'I guess I wasn't a complete failure as your mother then, was I?' There was a new callousness and mean-spiritedness about Linda, something akin to the so-called 'McMahon mean streak'. But on Linda, it was worse than that. There was a dark side to her that was simply…evil.

Shane shook his head slowly, his mind spinning at the way things were turning out. He had never expected this. 'Why? Why would you do that to Stephanie?'

Linda smiled without humour. 'Would you believe me if I told you I was jealous of my own daughter?'

'What…what are you talking about?'

'Stephanie McMahon. Daddy's Little Girl. Shane's Golden Sister. Princess!' Disgust twisted Linda's features as she spat out the last word. 'Stephanie could do no wrong, could she? You and Vince forgave her for every mistake that she made, no matter how big it was. And Hunter? Well, he fell right in line, didn't he? All she had to say was that she was pregnant, and he was fawning all over her again!'

Shane was horrified. Of all the excuses, explanations, justifications he had considered his mother would make none of them came close to the reason she had just admitted. 'Oh, god…you don't mean that…'

Linda's eyes narrowed. 'And _you_! Well, you were the perfect son, weren't you? When it came to Vince it was always about you and Stephanie. _I _was supposed to inherit the company, the money, the power was to go to _me_ after Vince's death, but then _you_ came along. The heir to the McMahon fortune, and Vince invested _everything_ in you!'

This wasn't his mother, the woman he had come to admire immensely. The woman he had loved his entire life, and whom he had always respected. The caring, honest, warm, devoted person he had always cherished as being the woman who gave birth to him.

She was supposed to be the best one out of all them…wasn't she?

'No, you _can't_ mean that,' Shane whispered. 'You just can't…something's not right…drugs, or something…we need to get you help…'

'I'm perfectly sane, son,' Linda said in her most matter-of-fact voice. 'There's nothing wrong with me at all.'

'But…but…how could you ruin your own daughter's life on purpose like that?' he asked, almost in despair. Already he was wishing that he had never found out the truth.

'Ruin? You call the disintegration of a marriage to a degenerate like _Hunter_ a ruin?' Linda asked incredulously. 'Personally, I call it saving her from a life of abject misery.'

'Despite his many failings, Stephanie loved Hunter. You knew that.'

She just shrugged indifferently. 'Well, she's got his baby to remember him by.'

Shane was filled with sudden revulsion for the selfish woman who stood before him. She wasn't his mother. As far as he was concerned, he and Stephanie were motherless. He wanted to reveal to her about Stephanie's miscarriage, but he stopped himself in time. He didn't even want to think about Linda's reaction to her own daughter's misery.

Without another word, Shane turned and walked away from the most heartless person he had ever known.


	14. Part Fourteen

'Hello?'

'Simba, it's Jericho.'

'I'm not in the mood right now, Jericho.'

'Oh, sure, when _you_ want to talk, I'm expected-'

*_Click_*

*

'Hello?'

'Who the hell gave you the right to hang up on me? I'm the Undispu-'

*_Click_*****

*

'Look-'

'Hang up on me one more time, and the world finds out about the Princess's miscarriage!'

'I'm sorry about that, Mr Jericho. This is Maria, Shane's wife. Now isn't a really good time. Can you call back later, please?'

'I'm the Undisputed Champion, damnit! A Living Legend!'

'I understand, but-'

'I just need half a minute, alright? Can I _please_ have half a minute with the great Shane-O-Mac?'

Silence. Then, 'What is it, Jericho?'

'I was just wondering if you ever found out who was behind that tape? You know, the one where the doc pretends to be an actor.'

'What do you care, Jericho? All you care about is your damned self.'

'Call it curiosity, okay?'

'I call it none of your business.'

'Why do you want to know? What's in it for you?'

'Like I said before, come _WrestleMania_ you'll understand. It's tomorrow, you know that?'

'No, I didn't, but thanks for telling me.'

'So, who was it?'

Pause. 'If you can believe it, it was Linda.'

'Your -'

*_Click_*


	15. Part Fifteen

WrestleMania X-8

Jericho was exhausted, unsure how much longer he could continue. He was certain that he and Triple H had been wrestling for close to an hour now, and he was afraid that soon he was not even going to care whether he would retain the Title.

It was time for his secret weapon.

'Hey! Jerky-'

Triple H hit him with a high knee, knocking all the air out of him. Fortunately, the other man was obviously as tired as he was and the move took as much out of Triple H as it hurt Jericho. The two of them lay wheezing in the middle of the ring, very sore and heavily bruised.

'Jerky,' Jericho panted, expending all of his energy on getting back to his feet. He had only one chance at doing what he had to do.

'Shut up,' Triple H growled at him, also struggling to get back to his feet.

Jericho took a few steps away from him, sneering. 'Remember your little wifey? Stephanie?'

'I said, shut up!'

Triple H lunged at him, but Jericho easily avoided the other man's grasp.

'Remember her pregnancy? The little baby-'

Triple H ran at him, driving Jericho's back painfully against the turnbuckles. Once again, all air was knocked out of Jericho and he struggled for breath.

'You shut your goddamned filthy mouth,' Triple H snarled in his face.

He grinned menacingly. 'You should trust her more often, asshole. Did you know she was really pregnant?'

Triple H punched him in the face.

Jericho's ears started to ring, and he shook his head to clear it, determined to continue. 'Stephanie miscarried that Monday night. You remember that night?'

'You lying-'

'It was _Linda_ who hired the doctor, who made him pose as an actor for that video that _she_ sent you. That guy you saw, he's a real doctor.'

'Piece of-'

Jericho stared right at Triple H. '_Your_ baby, Trips. You killed your own baby.'

*

Shane stared at the screen, unsure of how to react. The cameras focused on Hunter's stunned face before quickly pulling back in time to reveal Jericho explode out of the corner and clothesline Hunter to the mat. Lionsault. 1. 2. 3.

'He knows,' Maria murmured beside him. 'Hunter finally knows.'

The cameras had shown that a conversation had been taking place in the ring between the two men, but their words had not been picked up. Shane knew that they could have only been talking of one thing. 

He looked grimly at the image of the Undisputed Champion raising the two belts above his head in celebration. 'I understand, Jericho.'

The End

Author's notes: To be honest, I was surprised people liked this story! I was quite wary about the actual story, and especially about Linda's reasoning for what she did. I would like to say thank you very much to everyone who has reviewed it, and as much as I would love to return the favour, I barely have any time online – uni, work, chores and other commitments keep me tediously busy. Hopefully when my last exam (some time early July) is finished, I will finally have some 'me' time. Once again, thank you. I very much appreciate it. I'd like to say a special thank you to 'bannonluke' – your comments, although not verbose, always makes me smile. I'm glad you've been liking it. It's always gratifying when others want to read something of yours.


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